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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland
Published on: December 1, 2015
Calcium sensing by the mammary gland
1Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, TAC S120, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, USA. joshua.vanhouten@yale.edu
Abstract:
Calcium is an important nutrient that is secreted into milk in quantities that put a considerable stress upon maternal calcium homeostasis. Here we summarize the evidence that two important entities, the extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) are involved in a feedback loop that regulates calcium fluxes to the mammary gland. The CaR may also play a role in regulating milk secretion, and may regulate the proliferation of normal and neoplastic mammary epithelial cells. Finally, the relationship between the CaR and PTHrP in breast cancer cells may promote the formation of osteolytic bone metastases.
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